Applicator for correction fluid

ABSTRACT

An applicator for a correction fluid includes a stem, an applicator tip including foam, and a flexor within the foam portion. The applicator preferably has a flexibility of at least 0.0005 inch of deflection per gram of force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to applicators for correction fluids.

[0002] Correction fluids are used for correcting handwritten,typewritten or photocopied markings on paper. Generally, correctionfluids are applied to a paper surface in liquid form. After application,the fluids harden to a film which can effectively cover erroneousmarkings on the surface and can receive a corrected marking. Correctionfluids typically contain a resin that provides the flexible film, and anopacifying pigment, usually titanium dioxide, dispersed in a liquid. Theliquid may be water or an organic solvent.

[0003] Correction fluids are often supplied in a small container with anapplicator brush attached to the cap through a stem. A user unscrews thecap from the container and withdraws the brush loaded with correctionfluid. The user then contacts the erroneous marking with the brush, andcorrection fluid is transferred to the substrate to cover the marking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The invention relates to an applicator that can be used to applycorrection fluid. The applicator preferably includes a stem, anapplicator tip including foam, and preferably a flexible material, i.e.,a flexor, within the tip. The applicator is easy to use and preferablycan be inserted into a correction fluid container in the same generalmanner as brush applicators. The applicator provides an even laydown ofcorrection fluid on a substrate, resulting in good correction quality.The applicator has good durability and facilitates precise correction.

[0005] In one aspect, the invention relates to an applicator, includinga stem and an applicator tip including foam, having a flexibility of atleast 0.0005 inch of deflection per gram of force, preferably at least0.002 inch of deflection per gram of force.

[0006] In another aspect, the invention features an applicator,including a stem and an applicator tip including foam, having an angledchisel-shaped application surface for applying correction fluid to asubstrate.

[0007] In another aspect, the invention relates to a applicatorincluding a stem and an applicator tip including a quenched foam. Byquenched foam, it is meant a foam that is reticulated (substantially allmembranes have been removed to make it open-celled) by chemical methods.

[0008] In another aspect, the invention relates to a applicatorincluding a stem and an applicator tip including foam having an averagepore size of between 20 ppi (pores per linear inch) and 130 ppi.

[0009] The invention further relates to correction fluid productsincluding a body defining a reservoir and having an opening. Thereservoir includes a correction fluid, and the applicator is insertedthrough the opening so that the portion is in contact with thecorrection fluid. Preferably, the product also includes an insertthrough the opening, through which the applicator passes during use.Preferred inserts include a narrowed neck portion that removes excesscorrection fluid when the applicator tip is withdrawn from thereservoir.

[0010] The invention further relates to an applicator having anapplicator tip including foam, a correction fluid reservoir, includingcorrection fluid, from which the correction fluid is fed to theapplicator tip. The applicator has a flexibility of at least 0.0005 inchof deflection per gram of force. The applicator may also include aremovable enclosure (e.g., a cap) for the tip.

[0011] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the description of the preferred embodiment thereof, and from theclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0012]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a correction fluid containerincluding a correction fluid;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a side view of the end portion (including the applicatortip) of the foam applicator in FIG. 1;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a side view of the applicator tip removed from theapplicator in FIG. 2, with the portion of the flexor within the tipshown in broken lines;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a front view of the end portion of the foam applicatortip in FIG. 3;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a side view of a second applicator, with the flexorshown in broken lines;

[0017]FIG. 6 is a side view of a third applicator, with the flexor shownin broken lines; and

[0018]FIG. 7 is a rear view of the applicator in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a correction fluid container 10 includesa cap 12, an applicator 14, a body 16 including a correction fluidreservoir, and an insert 18.

[0020] Applicator 14 includes a stem 20, and an applicator tip 22. Theapplicator tip includes a foam portion 24 enclosing a flexor 26. Theapplicator has a flexibility of at least 0.0005 inch of deflection pergram of force, preferably at least 0.002 inch of deflection per gram offorce, measured as described below. The flexibility of the applicatordepends on a number of factors, including the stiffness of the stem; thecomposition, length, width, and thickness of the flexor; and thechemical composition and thickness of the foam portion.

[0021] The stiffness of the stem depends on the composition, length, anddiameter of the stem. Generally, the less stiff the stem, the moreflexible the applicator. Stems composed of softer materials are lessstiff than stems composed of harder materials, and longer stems are lessstiff than shorter stems. Stems may be made of, for example, polymericmaterials such as a low density and/or high density polyethylene orpolypropylene. The stem may have a length, for example, of between 2 cmand 15 cm, and preferably between 2 cm and 10 cm. It also may have adiameter of between, for example, 0.1 cm and 2 cm, and preferablybetween 0.2 cm and 0.8 cm. Stem 20 has a length of 4.1 cm and a diameterof 0.31 cm.

[0022] Flexor 26 includes an extension 28 that fits into the hollow endof stem 20.

[0023] Generally, the softer the foam and the thinner the applicator tipthe greater the flexibility of the foam applicator. The foam may be, forexample, an open cell foam having a pore size, for example, of between20 ppi and 130 ppi, preferably between 80 ppi and 120 ppi, and may be,for example, a polyether/polyurethane, polyester/polyurethane,polyether, or polyester foam. The foam can have a density, for example,in the range of 1.6 lb/ft³ to 15.0 lb/ft³, a compression deflection(CLD) of 25% R (radius) at (0.05-5.0) psi and a CLD of 65% at (0.2-10)psi. A preferred foam is a quenched polyester polyurethane foam having adensity of 1.85 lb/ft³, a pore size of 80 ppi to 120 ppi, a CLD of 25% Rat 0.25 psi, and a CLD of 65% R at 0.45 psi.

[0024] The foam portion (including the enclosed flexor) may have athickness (t₁), for example, of between 0.16 cm and 1.27 cm, a length(l) of between 0.3 cm and 2.0 cm, and a width (w) between 0.2 cm and 1.0cm. Foam portion 24 has a thickness (t₁) (at midpoint) of about 0.44 cm,and a length (l) of about 0.9 cm. Foam portion 24 is tapered and has athickness at its base of about 0.44 cm and a thickness towards its tipof about 0.34 cm.

[0025] Generally, the softer the composition of the flexor the greaterthe flexibility of the foam applicator. The flexor may be composed, forexample, of a composite of linear low density polyethylene and athermoplastic olefin having a very high softness and low modulus (e.g.,Adflex KS-359P, available from Mobil), low density polyethylene, highdensity polyethylene, polypropylene, or nylon. In addition, as a generalrule, thinner flexors provide more flexible foam applicators. The flexormay have, for example, a width (w) of between 0.02 cm and 0.15 cm, and athickness (t) of between 0.1 cm and 1.0 cm. Flexor 26 has a width (w) of0.06 cm. Flexor 26 is tapered but has a thickness of about 0.25 cm atits mid-point.

[0026] Foam applicator 14 has an angled chisel-shaped applicator surface30 that includes a point 32. The angle (α in the Figure) preferably isbetween 15° and 60° (e.g., 30°). The long applicator side surface can beused to apply correction fluid over words; the point or straight edge of32 allows a user to easily apply correction fluid to individual letters.

[0027] Insert 18 may be composed, for example, of a high densitypolyethylene. The insert has a narrowed neck region 30 that may have aninside diameter of between 3.0 mm and 5.0 mm (e.g., 3.8 mm), and mayhave a length of between 5 mm and 40 mm (e.g., 25 mm). When portion 24is removed (wiped off) from the correction fluid reservoir for use,excess correction fluid is removed by narrowed neck 34. When portion 24is reinserted into the fluid reservoir after use, any excess correctionfluid that comes off portion 24 during reinsertion generally isaccommodated by the portion of insert 18 above the narrowed neck, thusavoiding spillage of correction fluid.

[0028] Applicator 10 may be used with organic solvent-based orwater-based correction fluids. In addition to the liquid vehicle,correction fluids may include an opacifying agent such as titaniumdioxide, a film-forming polymer, and various other standard ingredients.Correction fluids may have a viscosity, for example, of between 10 cpsand 2000 cps, preferably between 30 cps and 1000 cps, at 20 rpm using aBrookfield Viscometer. Preferred correction fluids are described in, forexample, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,199,976 and 5,306,755, which are incorporatedby reference herein.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 5, an applicator 34 has a design similar toapplicator 14. Applicator 34, unlike applicator 14, does not have atapered foam portion or tapered flexor.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an alternative applicator 36 has aspear-shaped tip and includes a stem 38, a flexor 40, and a foam portion42.

[0031] The flexibility of an applicator can be measured using an InstronModel 1122 Compression Tester. The capped end of the applicator isattached to a fixed stand, having a rotating fixture to vary the angleof attachment. The angle is set at 40° so that the foam-tip is justunderneath the vertical cylinder (probe) of the tester, having adiameter of 15 cm. This probe is then moved downwards slowly at acontrolled rate of 0.13 cm/min while pressing the foam-tip during itsdownward movement. The force generated by the probe to deflect thefoam-tip and the actual deflection of the foam-tip were continuallymonitored and transmitted to a recorder for recording on a X-Y graph.The flexibility (calculated from the graph) corresponds to the ratio ofdeflection distance to the applied force, i.e., the slope of deflectionvs. applied force graph. The measurements are conducted at variousdeflection distances, e.g., 0.05″, 0.1″, 0.15″, 0.20″ and 0.25″.

[0032] The flexibility of 12 applicators was measured according to thisprocedure. The results are shown below in Tables 1 and 2. “Spear” in theapplicator in FIGS. 6 and 7; “Chisel #1” is the applicator in FIGS. 1-4;and “Chisel #2” is the applicator in FIG. 5. TABLE 1 Applicator TestedDesign Code Flexor Foam² Stem Spear G Polypropylene {fraction (3/16)}″Zapped³ HDPE Spear Z Polypropylene {fraction (3/16)}″ Ultra Fine⁴ HDPEChisel #1 A 100% LDPE {fraction (3/16)}″ Quenched⁵ LDPE Chisel #1 V 100%Adflex¹ {fraction (3/16)}″ Quenched LDPE Chisel #1 W 75% Adflex/25%LLDPE {fraction (3/16)}″ Quenched LDPE Chisel #1 X 50% Adflex/50% LLDPE{fraction (3/16)}″ Quenched LDPE Chisel #2 B 100% Polypropylene{fraction (3/16)}″ Quenched HDPE Chisel #2 C 100% Adflex ⅛″ QuenchedHDPE Chisel #2 D Natural Linear LDPE ⅛″ Quenched LDPE (LLDPE) Chisel #2E 50% Adflex/50% LLDPE ⅛″ Quenched HDPE Chisel #2 F 50% Adflex/50% LLDPE⅛″ Quenched LDPE Chisel #2 Y 50% Adflex/50% LLDPE {fraction (3/16)}″Quenched LDPE

[0033] TABLE 2 Flexibility (inch of deflection per gram of forceapplied) Deflection, Inches A B C D E F 0.05 0.002776 0.002778 0.02  0.007143 0.005263 0.018182 0.1  0.003571 0.001563 0.016667 0.0058820.003333 0.014815 0.15 0.003846 0.001785 0.0125  0.006122 0.0036140.012766 0.2  0.004167 0.001852 0.011765 0.006557 0.00354  0.011429 0.250.004587 0.001923 0.008065 0.00625  0.004237 0.008403 Deflection, InchesG V W X Y Z 0.05 0.001667 0.005   0.011111 0.005882 0.007143 0.0013160.1  0.001802 0.007273 0.012903 0.005128 0.005128 0.001695 0.15 0.002  0.006522 0.013333 0.006   0.00625  0.001829 0.2  0.001869 0.0054790.0125  0.006452 0.007018 0.001942 0.25 0.001437 0.004   0.0067570.005051 0.007143 0.001429

[0034] Although the flexibility of the examples were measured at variousdeflection distances, “flexibility” (as that term is used in the claims)should be measured at a deflection distance of 0.05″.

[0035] Other embodiments are within the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A correction fluid product, comprising a bodyincluding a reservoir and an opening, a correction fluid within thereservoir, and an applicator, inserted through the opening, including astem and an applicator tip comprising foam, the applicator having aflexibility of at least 0.0005 inch of deflection per gram of force. 2.The product of claim 1 wherein the stem has a length between 2 cm and 15cm.
 3. The product of claim 1 wherein the foam comprises a quenchedfoam.
 4. The product of claim 3 wherein the foam comprisespolyurethane/polyester.
 5. The product of claim 1 wherein the foamcomprises a material selected from the group consisting ofpolyurethane/polyester and polyurethane/polyether.
 6. The product ofclaim 1 wherein the foam is stable to organic solvents.
 7. The productof claim 1 wherein the applicator tip has an angled chisel-shaped edge.8. The product of claim 1 wherein the applicator tip has an averagethickness of between 0.16 cm and 1.27 cm.
 9. The product of claim 1wherein the applicator tip further comprises a flexor within the foam.10. The product of claim 1 wherein the correction fluid includes organicsolvent.
 11. The product of claim 1 wherein the correction fluid has aviscosity of between 10 cps and 2000 cps.
 12. The product of claim 1wherein the foam portion has an average pore size of between 20 ppi and130 ppi.
 13. A method of applying a correction fluid to a surface tocover a marking using an applicator having a flexibility of at least0.0005 inch of deflection per gram of force and including a stem and anapplicator tip including a foam, comprising loading correction fluidonto the applicator tip, and contacting the surface with the applicatortip to transfer correction fluid over the marking.
 14. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the applicator further includes a flexor within thefoam.
 15. A correction fluid product, comprising a body including areservoir and an opening, a correction fluid within the reservoir, andan applicator, inserted through the opening, including a stem and anapplicator tip comprising a foam, the applicator tip having an angledchisel-shaped applicator surface.
 16. The product of claim 15 whereinthe chisel-shaped applicator surface is angled at an angle of between15° and 60°.
 17. The product of claim 15 wherein the foam comprises aquenched foam.
 18. The product of claim 15 wherein the foam has anaverage pore size of between 20 ppi and 130 ppi.
 19. The product ofclaim 15 wherein the applicator tip has an average thickness of between0.16 cm and 1.27 cm.
 20. The product of claim 15 wherein the applicatortip further comprises a flexor within the foam.
 21. The product of claim15 wherein the stem has a length of between 2 cm and 15 cm.
 22. Theproduct of claims 1 or 15 wherein said product further comprises aninsert in the opening through which the applicator passes during use,the insert having a narrowed neck portion that removes excess correctionfluid from the applicator tip when the applicator tip is withdrawnthrough the insert.
 23. A method of applying a correction fluid to covera marking in a surface using an applicator including a stem and anapplicator tip including a foam having an angled chisel-shapedapplicator surface, comprising loading correction fluid onto theapplicator tip, and contacting the surface with the applicator tip totransfer correction fluid over the marking.
 24. The method of claim 23wherein the applicator further includes a flexor within the foam.
 25. Acorrection fluid product, comprising a body including a reservoir and anopening, a correction fluid within the reservoir, and an applicator,inserted through the opening, including a stem and an applicator tipincluding a foam, the foam comprising a quenched foam.
 26. The productof claim 25 wherein the applicator further comprises a flexor within thefoam.
 27. The product of claim 25 wherein said foam has an average poresize of between 20 ppi and 130 ppi.
 28. The product of claim 25 whereinsaid foam comprises a polyurethane/polyester.
 29. The product of claim25 wherein the correction fluid includes an organic solvent.
 30. Amethod of applying a correction fluid to cover a marking on a substrateusing an applicator including a stem and an applicator tip including afoam comprising a quenched foam, comprising loading correction fluidonto the applicator tip, and contacting the surface with the applicatortip to transfer correction fluid over the marking.
 31. The method ofclaim 30 wherein the applicator further includes a flexor within thefoam.
 32. A correction fluid product, comprising a body including areservoir and an opening, a correction fluid within the reservoir, andan applicator, inserted through the opening, including a stem and anapplicator tip including foam in contact with the correction fluid, thefoam having an average pore size of between 20 ppi and 130 ppi.
 33. Theproduct of claim 32 wherein the applicator further comprises a flexorwithin the foam.
 34. The product of claim 32 wherein the foam comprisesa polyurethane/polyester.
 35. A method of applying a correction fluid tocover a marking on a substrate using an applicator including a stem andan applicator tip including a foam having an average pore size ofbetween 20 ppi and 130 ppi, comprising loading correction fluid onto theapplicator tip, and contacting the surface with the applicator tip totransfer correction fluid over the marking.
 36. The method of claim 35wherein the applicator further comprises a flexor within the foam.
 37. Aapplicator comprising a stem, a foam portion having an average pore sizeof between 20 ppi and 130 ppi, and a flexor within the foam portion, thefoam portion having an angled chisel-shaped applicator surface, and theapplicator having a flexibility of at least 0.0005 inch of deflectionper gram of force.
 38. An applicator for applying a correction fluid toa substrate, comprising an applicator tip including a foam, and acorrection fluid reservoir, including correction fluid, from whichcorrection fluid is fed to the applicator tip, wherein the applicatorhas a flexibility of at least 0.0005 inch per gram of force.
 39. Theapplicator of claim 38, further comprising a removable enclosure for theapplicator tip.
 40. The product of claim 1 wherein the applicator has aflexibility of at least 0.002 inch of deflection per gram of force.